Friends That Break Your Heart

James Blake

James Blake's new record Friends That Break Your Heart is pretty decent, but it has a time and a place. The twelve ballads Blake has put together on this album are still very much moody in the way only James Blake can be, but the production is a little more subtle and minimal this time around I would say. Not many songs here make very strong musical statements, and therefore, what you're really looking for is whether Blake delivers a great melody, soulful performance, a good song at the very base level. For the most part I think Blake achieves that, although, I do wish the album had a little more colour.

The track I ended up liking the most was Lost Angel Nights, which I felt was the most colourful of the bunch. Lots of dancing, whimsical synth layers, and I love how Blake's vocal lines glide between his beautiful falsetto and his gravelly bass notes. I also really liked the track Frozen where Blake takes a backseat vocally for his guests, JID and SwaVay. Both of them have quite animated voices that fit so well over Blake's very woozy production. I also liked the tender Show Me which features a soothing thumb piano melody, a chipmunked hook, and a brief rush of synths and vocal layers that feels uncharacteristically grand for this record.

The rest of the record is pretty good with some occasionally compelling moments here and there - I'm thinking about Blake's incredibly soulful solo on the track Say What You Will - but I feel like it is something meant more for the background. Something to throw on after a long day to just unwind. Something that will fill the silence, but doesn't demand too much of your attention. I can certainly appreciate that, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be returning to this time and time again. Perhaps if those electronic and dance chops that I know Blake has in his back pocket, especially after hearing those elements shine on his last EP, there would be a little bit more to write home about.